Douchey Marketing vs Ethical Marketing: How To Sell Stuff Online

Marketing – we see it every day.

But what EXACTLY is the difference between ethical marketing and douchey marketing?

And how you can sell your stuff in a cool way AND still make a profit without relying on some of those “icky” marketing tactics we regularly see online?

In this blog, I’m breaking it all down.

Hey Posse, what’s up? It’s Alex and I am SO glad you’re here.

Because we’re talking about something I’m fiercely passionate about…

De-douchifying the Internet. 

Yup. THIS is exactly why I started my channel and it’s the foundation of my entire brand, the Copy Posse…

Tbh it’s a bit wild that it’s taken me 5 years to talk about this exact topic, but here we are!

Now, what is the Copy Posse? I’m glad you asked!

We’re a global crew of copywriters, marketers, and entrepreneurs on a mission to redefine modern marketing and make caring cool again.⁠⁠..

We believe in empathy, transparency, and HONEST MARKETING. 

Which I know sometimes feels like a very counterintuitive statement if you’re a bit jaded, like I was, after some terrible online sales and marketing experiences in the past…

But I promise you, marketing and being a good human can exist together…

And so after spending nearly a decade working as a freelance copywriter…

I stepped out from behind the scenes and started my YouTube channel. 

After just a few short years, we’ve grown from zero to hundreds of thousands of rad humans around the world…

So if YOU’RE ready to join the Posse and learn how to write copy and create marketing that is fun, engaging, empathetic, AND genuinely helps people…

You know what to do!

Subscribe to my newsletter to know when my next tutorial goes out. 

So what exactly is “douchey marketing”?

Why do I call it that? And how can you avoid sounding “douchey” in your own marketing and sales messaging?

Let’s get into it…

Now, let me pull out my very own (and super official) Posse Glossary to give you the definition.

What is Douchey Marketing?

Any marketing campaign that uses stolen content, false information, or impersonation to make a quick buck or take advantage of someone. 

Aka any marketing conducted by internet d-bags. 

Okay… simple enough. 

But what exactly is considered douchey-ness on the Internet?

Because I’m NOT just talking about illegal phishing scams, stolen content, impersonation or blatant stealing of people’s money…

I’m ALSO talking about:

• Misleading claims…
• Hypey clickbait…
• Chronic overpromising and underdelivering…
• Get-rich-quick schemes and empty promises…
• High-pressure sales tactics…
• Fear-mongering and preying on your audience’s biggest worries and weaknesses…
• Fine print and hidden charges…
• Fake testimonials, fake scarcity, fake discounts, fake anything…

And the list goes on and on.

You know it, you’ve seen it…

And, unfortunately, this actually happens WAY more often than you might realize.

And the sad truth is…

Some of the people who do these things don’t even REALIZE they are doing it. 

They aren’t evil. They are victims of bad Internet advice. 

Don’t get me wrong…

There are DEFINITELY people out there who are intentionally trying to trick naive folks on the Internet into taking out their credit cards…

I mean, I literally get 10 scam text messages a DAY…

It’s scary and alarming and makes me so angry, especially when I think about vulnerable people receiving messages like this…

But this blog is NOT for them.

Scammers are scammers and this article isn’t going to change that…

(But maybe one day I’ll do a blog on tips and tricks for spotting online scams, so if that’s a topic you’re interested in let me know in the comments below.)

This is for the marketers, copywriters and business owners out there who WANT to use ethical marketing, but maybe you just don’t know what that looks like…

Because, chances are, you’ve been sold the lie that in order to make a sale you have to say the sale ends in 2 days – even though it never really ends at all…

Or that you have to hide recurring billing charges in the fine print or else no one will buy…

Or that you have to rub salt in the wound of your customers’ biggest struggles to scare and guilt them into buying “or else”… 

Or that you have to run fake discounts and slash the price of your intentionally overpriced product to make it seem like you’re getting a deal when you aren’t… 

Or that you have to promise your product will help people make a gazillion dollars, look like a supermodel AND solve world hunger in order for people to buy

***please***

Like I said, this is bad advice. 

It’s an approach that may have worked well at one time… when everyone believed everything they saw on the internet because if it was published online then it must be “official” and 100% true.

But customers today are savvier and more skeptical than ever before and for DAMN GOOD REASON.

They know bullshit when they see bullshit. 

And if their eye-brow lifts even just for a second…

You’ve lost them forever.

Because with the overwhelming amount of options and information available out there at the swift swipe of a finger, your customers are IMMEDIATELY looking for a reason to COUNT YOU OUT.

Think about it – whether you realize it or not, you are constantly filtering the information you see online… yes, no, for me, not for me, too cheap, too expensive, too far away, too unbelievable…

And this is the FIRST filter customers put in place when looking at your marketing.

Yup – BEFORE they start looking for a reason why you might be right for them, they are trying to find out why you are WRONG for them.

Because it’s a lot easier to weed out the “bad” options first…

Then pick the “best” option among a few “good” options, right?

So that’s why your marketing needs to first focus on getting through the “bullshit” filter FIRST which is STRONGER than ever before.

Your customers know what’s up.

Now if you’ve fallen victim to some bad marketing advice before – it’s okay. I’m not here to shame you.

I’m here to show you what to do instead.

Here’s how I define ethical marketing…

What is Ethical Marketing?

The promotion of a product, service, or offer with the genuine intention of helping others – not just making a quick buck. Showcasing a high level of honesty, transparency, values, and integrity. Marketing that focuses on long-term brand and relationship building.

Now here’s the biggest secret of all…

Good marketing…

Marketing that FEELS good for you and your customers…

Marketing that people are instinctively DRAWN to…

Marketing that makes people EXCITED to buy and spend their money…

Is actually sooooo simple. 

It all comes down to empathy.

I think a lot of us freelancers, marketers and business owners miss this key aspect of doing business…

And I get it!

It’s so EASY to get lost trying to find the best strategies, methods, and processes for building your brand and getting your message out there…

And I get it… you need to make money in order to keep your business running and sometimes that means trying everything and anything we can… even if it doesn’t feel great.

But I’ve been in this industry for over 15 years.

And what I’ve learned is this. ????

When you genuinely care about your customers…

When you spend time thinking about their experience and needs…

When you have a mission that is bigger than just making some money…

You naturally attract amazing humans who value the same things you do…

And that is freakin’ cool.

This means your quote/unquote “marketing initiatives” can be INCREDIBLY simple…

Let me show you what I mean.

Buzzwords like:

• “Scientifically or clinically proven”…
• “Worlds #1 leading…”
• “More effective than…”
• “Reduce your risk of…”

These statements are more than just words. They are claims…. 

And when true, they can add a LOT of authority to your message. 

But if they’re not true, you’re simply lying and manipulating people. And you can get yourself into big trouble for that… 

Ads for the popular yogurt brand Activia landed the company with a class action settlement of $45 million in 2010. 

The yogurts were marketed as being “clinically” and “scientifically” proven to boost your immune system and help regulate digestion…

But those claims were unproven and they were ordered to remove “clinically” and “scientifically proven” from their labels… 

While sometimes these misleading claims can be an honest mistake or a result of some miscommunication on the marketing team…

It’s so important that we, as marketers and copywriters, hold ourselves to as high a standard as possible…

And when mistakes do happen, correct them as quickly as possible and adjust the language you use.

Here’s an example…

This probiotic does a great job of highlighting the benefits of taking it WITHOUT making false claims.

You can see they say “Highly researched,” “has been shown to,” and “widely revered for”. 

You can still highlight all the amazing benefits you want without making false claims. 

Another example… 

Pure Green Coffee claimed that its product helped with weight loss. To promote the product, the company used fake news organizations and logos from actual media outlets to prop up its bogus claims. 

I shouldn’t have to say this, but…

Stealing an image of someone – or something – to promote or associate with your product is a big no-no. 

And it happens a lot…

I’ve seen fitness companies use a photo of someone’s fitness transformation that they posted online to promote their weight loss pill or fitness app…

Other people will find a testimonial someone left about a different product and use it for their product…

Others will just create a totally fake testimonial and use someone’s picture they found online… 

And Artificial Intelligence is taking this douchyness to a whole new level…

People can actually create fake recordings of celebrities to endorse their products or write fake stories or testimonials of customer results or experiences…

So what can you do instead?

Again…

The theme of ethical marketing is simple: BE HONEST. 

When I launched my very first product, I obviously didn’t have any CUSTOMER testimonials to share. 

Because I didn’t have any customers yet!

So what I did to add to my authority and trustability was reach out to my previous clients and get testimonials from them. 

So my sales page featured what my previous clients had to say about my marketing and copywriting abilities and, of course, speak to my character…

And when I launched my new membership for freelance copywriters – SPARK – I ran into a similar problem…

I didn’t have testimonials about this membership to share… because it was brand new. 

But what I did have was thousands of customer testimonials from other programs. 

Which are STILL a fantastic way to build trust and authority. 

So I showcased a handful of testimonials from my other programs and memberships…

But I very clearly state these testimonials are from other Posse Programs. 

See how I did that in a way that was honest and in integrity?

And of course… 

We can’t have a blog about douchey marketing without talking about clickbait. 

People love to say ANYTHING with a good hook is clickbait. 

But that’s not actually true. 

I got called out on this video for a clickbait title! 

But it wasn’t clickbait at all. It was just a really good hook.

Clickbait is misleading. 

It’s an intentionally misleading hook used to trick people into clicking. 

When the person clicks, the REASON they clicked is never addressed or delivered on. The hook was totally irrelevant. 

That is clickbait. 

But if you deliver on the hook… then it’s not clickbait. 

This blog was ALL about Taylor Swift’s marketing strategy…

And how she uses cryptic messages and hides easter eggs in her content before releasing an album.

There was nothing clickbaity or misleading about it… it was just a good hook that made people want to click! 

Big difference. 

The point is…

You don’t HAVE to follow any marketing strategy, rule, or practice just because you think it’ll get you more: clicks, sales, or shares. 

The old rules of marketing are, “Say whatever it takes to get the sale…”

The new rules of marketing are, “Be helpful, share your message, stand up for something, and your people will find you…”

Each and every one of my Posse Programs are rooted in these modern marketing principles that work TODAY…

And the best part is that when you follow these principles, you won’t just grow a thriving brand and loyal customer base…

You’ll put the d-bags outta business and YOU’LL be the one making money.

So… 

If you’re ready to start creating the life and business of your dreams…

And you want to learn my sales and marketing philosophies…

Check out my website more information about my programs:

• I’ve got programs that’ll teach you how to write an amazing sales page…
• And a compelling email marketing campaign… 
• I have a program to help you create messaging that is empathetic, engaging and totally on brand for YOU…
• I have a website toolkit with all my website formulas…
• I even have an entire content marketing video program that’s great for business owners or marketing strategists…
• And of course – my signature program: my 8-week copywriting program where I walk you through the foundational principles of modern marketing and how to write compelling copy for your own portfolio or product.

I hope you found this article helpful. 

And remember: CARING IS COOL. 

Until next time, I’m Alex. Ciao for now.

Watch This Instead